Method and system for catalytically converting oxygenates and regenerating and stripping catalyst

ABSTRACT

A method of converting oxygenate-containing feedstock to light olefins comprises charging a reactor with catalyst, feeding the feedstock into the reactor, contacting the feedstock with the catalyst and converting the feedstock to olefins while depositing byproducts on catalyst resulting in spent catalyst, regenerating the spent catalyst by combustion gases, and stripping the regenerated catalyst of gases entrained in the regenerating step. The stripping step is accomplished using nitrogen gas to strip the entrained gases from the regenerate catalyst. In one embodiment, regenerated catalyst is passed through a regenerated catalyst stripper before it is returned to the reactor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and system for treating regeneratedcatalyst in an oxygenate to olefin conversion process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Light olefins have traditionally been produced through the process ofsteam or catalytic cracking. Because of the limited availability andhigh cost of petroleum sources, the cost of producing light olefins fromsuch petroleum sources has been steadily increasing. Light olefins serveas feeds for the production of numerous chemicals.

The search for alternative materials for light olefin production has ledto the use of oxygenates such as alcohols and, more particularly, to theuse of methanol, ethanol, and higher alcohols or their derivatives.Molecular sieves such as microporous crystalline zeolite andnon-zeolitic catalysts, particularly silicoaluminophosphates (SAPO), areknown to promote the conversion of oxygenates to hydrocarbon mixtures ina reactor. Numerous patents describe this process for various types ofthese catalysts: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,928,483; 4,025,575; 4,052,479;4,496,786; 4,547,616; 4,677,242; 4,843,183; 4,499,314; 4,447,669;5,095,163; 5,191,141; 5,126,308; 4,973,792; and 4,861,938.

When a catalyst is exposed to oxygenates, such as methanol, to promotethe reaction to olefins, carbonaceous material (coke) is generated anddeposited on the catalyst. Accumulation of coke deposits interferes withthe catalyst's ability to promote the reaction. As the amount of cokedeposit increases, the catalyst loses activity and less of the feedstockis converted to the desired olefin product. The step of regenerationremoves the coke from the catalyst by combustion with oxygen, restoringthe catalytic activity of the catalyst. The regenerated catalyst maythen be exposed again to oxygenates to promote the conversion toolefins.

The exposed catalyst with coke deposit is continuously withdrawn fromthe reactor and regenerated in a regenerator and then returned to thereactor. The catalyst is then directed to the regenerator wherecombustion with oxygen-containing air burs off the coke deposit on thecatalyst. The combustion air used in regenerating the catalyst leavescarbon monoxide, oxygen, and carbon dioxide gases entrained in thecatalyst. Oxygen is not a natural byproduct of the oxygenate-to-olefinreaction and when introduced through entrainment with regeneratedcatalyst creates processing difficulties downstream. The presence ofoxygen will increase the amount of contaminant carbon dioxide and carbonmonoxide formed among the desired product. Carbon dioxide and carbonmonoxide entrained from the regenerator also significantly increase theconcentration of these contaminants in the olefin product.

Carbon dioxide is a contaminant in polymer grade ethylene and propyleneand is removed using caustic scrubbing. By eliminating the entrainedcarbon dioxide from the regenerated catalyst, the caustic consumption inthe downstream caustic scrubber is significantly reduced. Eliminatingthe entrained oxygen has the benefit of reducing the potential forfouling in the downstream caustic scrubber and reducing operationalproblems in the downstream acetylene converter. Increased carbonmonoxide increases the operating temperature of the acetylene converterand therefore narrows the operating range between normal operation andthe maximum allowable temperature to avoid thermal runway.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method is disclosed for stripping entrained gases from regeneratedcatalyst used in converting an oxygenate-containing feedstock to olefinscomprising regenerating a catalyst and then stripping the regeneratedcatalyst. In another aspect, a method is also disclosed for convertingoxygenate-containing feedstock to olefins comprising charging a reactorwith catalyst, feeding the oxygenate-containing feedstock into thereactor, contacting the oxygenate-containing feedstock with the catalystin the reactor and converting the oxygenate-containing feedstock toolefins while spending the catalyst, regenerating the spent catalyst,and stripping the regenerated catalyst of gases entrained during theregeneration step. In another aspect of the method, nitrogen gas stripsthe regenerated catalyst. In a further aspect, hydrocarbons are strippedfrom the catalyst before the regenerating step.

A system also is disclosed for regenerating catalyst used in convertingoxygenate-containing feedstock to olefins comprising a regenerator and aregenerated catalyst stripper having a regenerated catalyst inlet, astripping gas distributor and a stripped regenerated catalyst outlet. Inone embodiment, the stripper has a plurality of baffles to enhancecontact between the stripping gas and the catalyst. The catalyst inletis preferably near the top of the stripper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system and method for using,regenerating, and stripping a catalyst used in an oxygenate-containingfeedstock to olefins conversion process.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the regenerated catalyst stripper of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Oxygenate-containing feedstock may be converted to light olefins in acatalytic reaction and the catalyst may be regenerated and stripped ofentrained gases before being returned to catalyze further reactions.Feedstock comprising oxygenate, such as methanol, may be contacted witha catalyst containing a molecular sieve in reactor 10. Catalyticactivity should be maintained at a predetermined level foroxygenate-containing feedstock to be continuously converted to olefins.Deposits on catalyst that impair catalytic activity should be removedwithout disrupting conditions for the reaction of oxygenate-containingfeedstock to olefins. Fluidization of catalyst particles by variousgaseous streams allows transport of catalyst between reactor 10,stripper 30, regenerator 50, and stripper 70. One oxygenate-containingfeedstock may be methanol. The methanol to olefin (MTO) conversionprocess may be a vapor phase, fluid catalytic process that convertsmethanol to olefins, primarily ethylene and propylene. Feedstock may becommercial grade methanol, crude methanol or any combination of the two.Crude methanol may be an unrefined product from a methanol synthesisunit. Feed comprising methanol and water blend may have methanol betweenabout 65% and about 90% by weight. More preferably, feed comprisingmethanol and water blend may have methanol between about 78% and about82% by weight. Most preferably, feed comprising methanol and water blendmay be about 80% methanol by weight. As seen in FIG. 1, MTO reactor 10may be a fluid catalytic design. Coke may be a byproduct of the MTOprocess that accumulates on catalyst during contact withoxygenate-containing feedstock. Catalyst becomes spent as coke depositsaccumulate on the catalyst and decrease its ability to convertoxygenate-feedstock to olefins. Therefore, spent catalyst from reactor10 may be continuously regenerated to maintain the desired activity. Thecatalyst may be silicoaluminophosphate (SAPO), having a tetrahedral unitframework forming numerous pores to best contact methanol feed duringconversion to olefins.

At least a portion of the spent catalyst may be continuously drawn outof reactor 10 for regeneration. Before the spent catalyst may beregenerated, hydrocarbons may be stripped from the spent catalyst inreactor stripper 30 using steam. The spent catalyst may be transferredto regenerator 50 where the coke may be removed from the catalyst,resulting in a regenerated catalyst. Gases from regeneration may beentrained in the regenerated catalyst when the catalyst is removed fromregenerator 50 and the entrained gases may be disruptive to reactor 10conditions for converting methanol to olefins.

The catalyst may preferably have a void fraction between about 0.2 andabout 0.5 and more preferably be between about 0.3 and about 0.4. Thecoke on the spent catalyst may typically be between about 2 wt-% andabout 20 wt-% and more typically be between about 3 wt-% and about 10wt-% The coke on the regenerated catalyst may preferably be betweenabout 0.1 wt-% and about 0.5 wt-% and more preferably be between about0.2 wt-% and about 0.4 wt-% The percentage of coke oxidized maypreferably be at least 80 wt-%, more preferably be at least about 85wt-%, and most preferably be at least about 90 wt-%.

Much of entrained gases used during regeneration may be removed from theregenerated catalyst after regeneration by cyclone 55 within regenerator50, but as seen in example below, a significant amount of entrainedgases remain with regenerated catalyst when it leaves regenerator 50.These entrained gases include gases which may be adsorbed onto thecatalyst, located within its pore structure or simply carried ininterstitial volume between catalyst particles. Regenerated catalyst maybe transferred to regenerated catalyst stripper 70 before being returnedto reactor 10 where entrained gases remaining with the catalyst from theregenerating step are stripped by a stripping gas. In one embodiment,the entrained gases which may comprise carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbonmonoxide (CO), and oxygen (0 ₂) are removed by nitrogen (N₂) gas. Use ofa CO oxidation promoter additive in the catalyst will reduce therelative ratio of CO to C0 ₂ in the entrained gases.

Oxides of nitrogen may be formed in regenerator 50 and can be entrainedwith catalyst delivered into reactor 10. Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) cancreate a hazard in the downstream cryogenic recovery section. NOx mayinclude nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), nitrogen trioxide(N₂O₂), and dinitrogen tetroxide (N_(2O) ₄). Trace amounts of NOx canreact with hydrocarbons to form unstable compounds. These compounds areknown as NOx gums, nitrogenous gums, vapor phase gums, etc., andaccumulate over time in cryogenic equipment used for purifying ethylene.NOx gums can lead to a risk of explosion when equipment is taken offlineand warmed to ambient conditions for maintenance.

Stripped regenerated catalyst may be returned to reactor 10 for furtherconversion of methanol to olefins. An absence or reduction of entrainedgases with regenerated catalyst helps conversion of methanol to olefinsby reducing byproducts formed within reactor 10 and cutting down costson downstream product recovery.

Nitrogen directed to the regenerated catalyst stripper to strip theentrained gases from the regeneration step may be between about 0.5 andabout 8.0 kg of nitrogen per 1000 kg of catalyst. Preferably, thenitrogen directed to the regenerated catalyst stripper may be betweenabout 2.0 and about 5.0 kg of nitrogen per 1000 kg of catalyst. Morepreferably, the nitrogen directed to the regenerated catalyst strippermay be between about 3.0 and about 4.0 kg of nitrogen per 1000 kg ofcatalyst.

A method of processing catalyst exposed in a conversion reaction ofoxygenate-containing feedstock to olefins includes regenerating theexposed catalyst and stripping the regenerated catalyst of gasesentrained during the regenerating step.

In one embodiment of a method for processing oxygenate-containingfeedstock to olefins, the catalyst for converting oxygenate-containingfeedstock to olefins travels a route from reactor 10 to a hydrocarbonstripper 30 to regenerator 50 to regenerated catalyst stripper 70 backto reactor 10. A method of regenerating a catalyst used in convertingoxygenate-containing feedstock to olefins includes: charging reactor 10with catalyst, feeding the oxygenate-containing feedstock into reactor10, contacting the oxygenate-containing feedstock with the catalyst inreactor 10 and converting the feedstock to olefins while spending thecatalyst, regenerating the spent catalyst, and stripping the regeneratedcatalyst of gases entrained during the regenerating step. In anotheraspect of the method, hydrocarbon vapors are stripped from the spentcatalyst before the regeneration step. Entrained gases may includeoxygen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide. The method may alsocomprise the regenerated catalyst stripping gases combining with thecombustion gases and discharging from a common outlet.

As seen in FIG. 1, reactor 10 comprises a lower reactor section 11 andan upper reactor section 12. Lower reactor section 11, where the processreaction actually occurs, consists of a feed distributor 20, a fluidizedbed of catalyst and an outlet riser 13. Upper reactor section 12 may beprimarily the vapor/catalyst separation zone. After the preliminarydisengagement at the top of the outlet riser 13, cyclone 14 carries theseparation to a greater degree. Separated catalyst may be continuallyrecycled from upper reactor section 12 back down to lower reactorsection 11, via recirculation conduit 16 through a slide valve, tomaintain the desired catalyst density in lower reactor 11. The olefinsand byproducts produced by the reaction are discharged from reactor 10by conduit 15 which directs the olefins and byproducts to a productrecovery process. The temperature range in the reactor is preferred tobe between about 440° C. and about 520° C. The more preferred range ofthe temperature in the reactor is between about 450° C. and about 500°C. The preferred feed temperature range is between about 120° C. andabout 200° C. More preferably the feed temperature range is betweenabout 180° C. and 200° C.

Hydrocarbons also may be included as part of the oxygenate-containingfeedstock. Hydrocarbons included in the feedstock are adsorbed ortrapped in the molecular sieve structure of the catalyst duringconversion of oxygenate feed to olefins. Hydrocarbons may includeolefins, reactive paraffins, reactive aromatics, or mixtures thereof.The catalyst exposed to the oxygenate-containing feedstock in thereactor becomes spent catalyst, and may be withdrawn from reactor 10 anddirected to reactor stripper 30 situated adjacent to reactor 10.

The stripping process removes the volatile organic components which maybe entrained with the catalyst prior to entering regenerator 50. Astripping gas may be passed over the catalyst in reactor stripper 30. Inone embodiment the stripping gas comprises steam directed into thereactor stripper 30 via lines 40.

The entrained steam traveling from reactor stripper 30 to regenerator 50may typically be between about 0.40 m³/m³ catalyst and 0.80 m³/m³catalyst measured at operating conditions. More typically the range forentrained steam is between about 0.60 m³/m³ catalyst and 0.70 m³/m³catalyst.

MTO regenerator 50 may be a bubbling (turbulent) bed type of design.Regenerator 50 may comprise a vessel containing a distributor 49 fed bycombustion gas line 52, a fluidized bed of catalyst and cyclones 55.Main air blower on line 52 or pressurized air supplies combustion gas toregenerator 50. Catalyst regeneration may be exothermic. The heat ofcombustion of the coke may be combusted from regenerator 50 byvaporizing water circulated through tubes in regenerator catalystcoolers 60.

Combustion air may contain oxygen (O₂) or other oxidants. It may bepreferred to supply oxygen in the form of air. The air can be dilutedwith nitrogen, C0 ₂, flue gas, or steam. Coke deposits are removed fromthe catalyst during regeneration, forming a regenerated catalyst.

In one embodiment, regenerator 50 comprises a fluid bed section 53, anupper disengaging section 54 and a lower section 56 comprisingregenerated catalyst stripping section 70 and regenerator catalystcoolers 60. In operation, regenerator 50 contacts spent catalysttransferred from reactor 10 by an exposed catalyst standpipe 22 withcompressed air from distributor 51. Contact with oxygen combusts cokefrom the catalyst as it passes upwardly through fluid bed section 53. Asmall portion of the catalyst remains entrained with the combustiongases and enters inlet 57 of cyclones 55 which separate much of theentrained catalyst from the combustion gases. Catalyst travels to thelower section 56 via the dip legs on cyclones 55.

In one embodiment, typical flue gas in regenerator 50 may comprise asfollows by percentage volume: 2-11% H₂O, 3-7% O_(2,) 75-80% N₂, and10-15% CO₂. There may be residual CO in the flue gas within regenerator50. Combustion flue gases are discharged from regenerator 50 via conduit58.

Catalyst enters regenerator catalyst cooler 60 through an opening 61.Catalyst entering cooler 60 contacts the outer surface of a heatexchange tube as it passes downwardly through the cooler and returns tofluid bed section 53 via a conduit. Cooler 60 may be cooled byvaporizing water into steam. Heat exchange tubes are bayonet style tubeshaving an outer tube that contacts the catalyst and an inner tube forcirculating a cooling fluid. Fluidizing gas comprising air anddistributed by a plurality of conduits enter cooler 60. Fluidizing gaspasses upwardly through the cooler 60 and through opening 61 into upperdisengaging section 54. The fluidizing gas requirement will depend onthe amount of coke being combusted from the catalyst.

To prevent the entry of large objects such as agglomerated masses ofcatalyst from entering the cooler 60, a sheet of screen material coversopening 61. The screen can be secured to opening 61 using a suitablemethod.

After catalyst is regenerated, there are gases entrained in theregenerated catalyst that increase amounts of byproducts in oxygenate toolefin conversion processes and make downstream product recovery moredifficult. Entrained gases should be removed prior to the regeneratedcatalyst returning to reactor 10 to cut down on downstream productrecovery resources. When the regenerated catalyst travels directly fromregenerator 50 back to reactor 10, the range of flue gas entrained maypreferably be between about 0.5 m³/m³ catalyst and about 0.8 m³/m³catalyst.

The entrained gases from regenerator 50 may include O₂, CO, CO₂, N₂,NO_(x), and H₂O. If the catalyst travels directly from regenerator 50back to reactor 10, the entrained flue gases may comprise between about8 and about 24 kg H₂O, between about 32 and about 40 kg O₂, betweenabout 440 and about 530 kg N₂, between about 100 and about 150 kg CO₂per 1000 m³ of catalyst. The entrained flue gas may also compriseresidual amounts of CO, NO_(x), and sulfur compounds.

Preferably at least about 97 wt-% of the entrained gases are removedbefore returning to reactor 10. More preferably at least about 99 wt-%of the entrained gases are removed before returning to reactor 10.

After catalyst is regenerated, the catalyst enters a regeneratedcatalyst stripper 70. The regenerated catalyst stripper 70 may becontiguous with the lower section 56 of the regenerator 50 along withcooler 60 such that the regenerated catalyst stripper 70 is within thevessel of the catalyst regenerator 50. As seen in FIG. 2, in oneembodiment, regenerated catalyst stripper 70 may be a cylindricalchamber connected to the lower section 56 of regenerator 50 such thatregenerator 50 and regenerated catalyst stripper 70 form a single vesselwith a common shell. Regenerator 50 and stripper 70 may also be twoseparate vessels connected by conduits directing the regeneratedcatalyst from the regenerator to the stripper. Regenerated catalyst iswithdrawn from regenerator 50 and directed into stripper 70 where thecatalyst may be fluidized by a gas and stripped by a stripping gas. Theregenerated catalyst may be fluidized by fluidizing gas and may beimpeded from direct downward flow by packing, or baffles. The assumedfraction of stripping gas entrained in the catalyst when it leaves thestripper 70 may be between about 0.3 and 0.7 and typically between about0.4 and 0.6. In one embodiment, the stripping gas comprises nitrogen.The total stripping nitrogen used may preferably be betweenapproximately 1 kg nitrogen/m³ catalyst and about 4 kg nitrogen/m³ ofcatalyst.

The regenerated catalyst may be fluidized in stripper 70 by an inert gassuch as nitrogen for the stripping of the entrained gases fromregeneration. The fluidizing gas may be introduced via distributor 80.The stripping gas may be introduced via distributor 90. In oneembodiment the stripping gas comprises nitrogen. Alternatively, thecatalyst may be dispersed in stripper 70 by packing. The stripping gasmay be introduced via distributor 90 to the underside of the packing tostrip the suspended regenerated catalyst. The assumed fraction ofentrained stripping gas is between about 0.3 and 0.7.

In a preferred embodiment, the regenerated catalyst may be impeded fromdirect downward flow in the stripper 70 by baffles 75 as shown in FIG.2. The baffles 75 comprise a perforated section 76 with openings thatallow upward passage for the fluidizing gas to strip entrained gasesfrom the regenerated catalyst. The baffles 75 may be sloped at an anglefor drainage, especially during shutdown. Baffle 75 preferably does notextend across the entire cross-section of the stripping section 70. Adowncomer area 77 is provided between an edge of each baffle 75 and aninside wall of stripper 70 for the catalyst to cascade from one baffleto the subjacent baffle in the stripper 70. An end plate 78 may beattached to the ends of each baffle 75 and extend downwardly from theedge of baffle to define a skirt which may serve to regulate the amountof any gas which may accumulate under each baffle. Arranging downcomer77 area on opposite sides of stripper 70 on adjacent baffles 75 assuresthat the catalyst cascades downwardly through the stripping section fromside to side. The spacing of perforations over the perforated sectionmay be arranged in any manner that eliminates wide bands or areas thatdo not contain holes for delivery of the fluidization medium. It may beimportant that at least about 30% of the area of the perforated section76 comprise openings to allow the passage of stripping mediumtherethrough and break up gas bubbles beneath the baffle. It ispreferred that between about 50% and about 80% of the perforated section76 comprise openings. It is further preferred that between about 65% andabout 75% of perforated section 76 comprise openings. The baffles 75 areheld in place by a support 79 which may be connected to the wall ofstripping section 70 supporting the baffles from underneath. In oneembodiment, support 79 may be wedge-shaped with one side of the wedgeflush against the underside of each baffle 75.

Perforated section 76, with a high percentage of open area, allows thestripping medium to rise vertically upwardly through the stripper 70through succeeding baffles 75 to engage the downwardly flowing catalystwending through the stripping section in a transverse manner to promotebetter mixing between the stripping medium and the catalyst. In apreferred embodiment, the height of separation between succeedingbaffles may be 61 cm (24 inches) apart but it may also be preferred toreduce the height to 46 cm (18 inches). In one embodiment, there may bean imperforate section 73 on the baffle 75. Imperforate section 73 maycomprise a blank-off plate which rests on top of perforated section 76of each baffle 75 below the downcomer 77 of the superjacent baffle 75.Preferably, blank-off plate comprising part or all of imperforatesection 73 may be secured to perforated section 76. The imperforatesection further promotes the horizontal movement of the catalyst byforcing it to change direction after coming through a superjacentdowncomer area 77. The imperforate section 73 comprises between about10% and about 30% of the cross-sectional area of the stripper with about20% being preferred. Perforated section 76 of the baffle 75 not coveredby the imperforate section 73 in an embodiment comprises about 40% toabout 80% of the cross-sectional area of the stripper 70 with about 60%being preferred. The downcomer section 77 comprises between about 10%and about 30% of the cross-sectional area of the stripper 70 with about20% being preferred.

Stripping gas and fluidizing gas may be introduced into stripper 70 viadifferent distributors or stripping gas introduced via only onedistributor may also act as fluidizing gas. Stripping gas may beintroduced via distributor 80 and fluidizing gas may be introduced viadistributor 90. In a preferred embodiment, stripping gas and fluidizinggas for stripper 70 comprise nitrogen gas. Both stripping gasdistributor 80 and fluidizing gas distributor 90 introduce nitrogen tothe underside of baffles 75 by jets. In an embodiment, slightly,downwardly sloped jets 82 on stripping gas distributor 80 directnitrogen toward a centerline of the stripper 70 to produce upward gasflow under the perforated sections 76 of the baffles 75. Jets 91 onfluidizing gas distributor 90 direct nitrogen upwardly toward baffles 75to fluidize regenerated catalyst. Jets 92 on the fluidizing gasdistributor 90 direct nitrogen downwardly toward a regenerated catalyststandpipe 100 to keep catalyst fluidized in standpipe 100. Having twodistributors of nitrogen keeps the flow density constant throughoutstripper 70 to optimize stripping. The flow rate of stripping gas fromstripping gas distributor 80 may be between about three times and aboutfive times greater than the flow rate of fluidizing gas from fluidizinggas distributor 90. The stripping gas flow rate may more preferably beabout four times greater than fluidizing gas flow rate.

Stripping gas and fluidizing gas introduced into stripper 70 for thestripping of the regenerated catalyst travel upwardly through thestripper 70 and regenerator 50 and exit along with regenerator fluegases through conduit 58. After the regenerated catalyst travelsdownwardly through stripper 70 by means of transverse movement along thebaffles 75, the catalyst may be funneled into the regenerated catalyststandpipe 100 through funnel 95 at the bottom of the stripping section70. The regenerated catalyst that has been stripped of gases entrainedduring regeneration may be returned back to reactor 10 by theregenerated catalyst standpipe 100.

A system for regenerating spent catalyst used in convertingoxygenate-containing feedstock to olefins comprises a catalystregenerator, a regenerated catalyst stripper having a regeneratedcatalyst inlet, a stripping gas distributor, and a stripped regeneratedcatalyst outlet. In one embodiment of the invention, a regeneratedcatalyst stripper contains a plurality of baffles. Each one of thebaffles may have a perforated section. Each baffle may be mounted andspaced apart overlappingly on alternate sides of the regeneratedcatalyst stripper. The stripping gas in the stripper may comprisenitrogen. There may be a common outlet for gases from said regeneratedcatalyst stripping section and the regenerator, where the regeneratedcatalyst stripping section is in fluid communication with theregenerator. The stripping distributor may be below said regeneratedcatalyst inlet. The catalyst inlet may be near the top of the stripper.The catalyst outlet may be near the bottom of the stripper.

EXAMPLE

An experimental simulation was conducted for an MTO unit to more fullydemonstrate the stripping of entrained gases from regenerated catalystbefore returning the catalyst to the reactor. The catalyst comprises asilicoaluminophosphate (SAPO) molecular sieve. SAPO molecular sievescomprise a molecular framework of SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and P₂O₅ tetrahedralunits. The catalyst may be circulated at a rate of about 136,077 kg/hr(300,000 lb/hr). The coke on the spent catalyst is about 3.0 wt-% andthe coke on the regenerated catalyst is about 0.3 wt-%. The amount ofcoke oxidized in the regenerator is 3,659 kg/hr (8,066 lb/hr).

MTO unit is designed to convert methanol to light olefins. In thisparticular example, we have assumed the following composition: 5.0 wt-%water, 95 wt-% methanol, 0.2 wt-% ethanol, 1000 wppm higher alcohols and30 wppm dimethyl ether.

The entrained components on the regenerated catalyst returned to reactor10 without passing through regenerated catalyst stripper 70 per 1000 m³catalyst are as follows: 16 kg H₂O, 37 kg O₂, 462 kg N₂ and 124 kg CO₂.After regenerated catalyst passes through the stripper 70, the entrainedcomponents per 1000 m³ catalyst are as follows: 0.16 kg H₂O, 0.37 kg O₂,4.6 kg N₂, 1.2 kg CO₂.

The above example is only intended to illustrate certain aspects of thepresent invention and is not meant to be limiting.

1. A method of processing spent catalyst from an oxygenate to olefinsconversion process comprising: regenerating said spent catalyst from anoxygenate to olefin conversion process to provide regenerated catalyst;and stripping said regenerated catalyst of gases entrained during saidregenerating step.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein saidstripping step is accomplished with nitrogen gas.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising stripping said spent catalystof hydrocarbons before said regenerating step.
 4. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein said entrained gases comprise oxygen, carbondioxide, and carbon monoxide.
 5. A method of converting oxygenate toolefins comprising: charging a reactor with catalyst; feeding saidoxygenate into said reactor; contacting said oxygenate with saidcatalyst in said reactor and converting said oxygenate to said olefinswhile spending said catalyst; regenerating said spent catalyst byburning combustion gases; and stripping said regenerated catalyst ofgases entrained in said regenerating step.
 6. The method according toclaim 5, wherein said stripping step is accomplished with nitrogen gas.7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising said strippinggases combining with said combustion gases and discharging from a commonoutlet.